Graduate students Haobing Zhu (piano) and Marta Bagratuni (cello, voice) were two of the four local artists awarded grants from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing in the emerging artist category of the council’s 2013 Individual Artist Grant Program. Each of the women received cash awards of $1,000, which will help fund their projects that involve the production of CDs, community concerts, and presentations.

Zhu, who has won several national and international piano competitions, will present “Colorful Cloud Chasing the Moon,” celebrating the dynamic diversity of the Chinese culture through music. The project includes a CD featuring her performance of Jianzhong Wang’s transcriptions of Chinese folk music. In September 2013, free concerts and interactive sessions will take place at the MSU Community Music School.

Bagratuni, an accomplished cellist and soprano, will present her CD project “Pieces of the World” at a release event at The Avenue in Lansing in June. Her project, which includes collaborations with other Michigan-based artists, features classical works for cello by composers from around the world as well as visual art.